6 Unit 1 Two Words to Avoid

1、Unit One Text I Pre-reading QuestionsYou may have kept in your memory some words, phrases or even whole sentences that are of 1. and your classmates them in your life. Share with can great wisdom and serve as guidelines discuss their value.The two words that, as the author of the text suggests, shou

2、ld be avoided are if only, and the 2. two be remembered are ext time. Can you guess, before you read the text, what message the author intends to convey to the reader with such a suggestion? General Reading I. Judge which of the following best states the purpose of the article. A. To explain how Fre

3、uds psychotherapy works. B. To demonstrate the power of positive thinking. C. To call attention to the importance of the choice of words. Key: B II. Judge whether the following statements are true or false.That wintry afternoon, the author was in a bad mood and he happened to meet an old friend of 1

4、. his in a French restaurant in Manhattan.The Old Man asked the author to go to his office because he thought that the office was a better 2. place than the restaurant for their talk. The three speakers on the tape had all been unfavorably affected by what had happened to them.3. In the Old Mans opi

5、nion, it was a bad way of thinking always to regret what one had done or 4. had not done. 4. T 2. F 3. T Key: 1. F Background Notes 1. Manhattan, an island near the mouth of the Hudson River, is a borough of New York City, in southeastern New York State, U.S.A. Commercial and cultural heart of the c

6、ity, Manhattan is the site of the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the City Center of Music and Drama, and numerous other music institutions. word 编辑版 1939) is an Austrian physician and the founder of psychoanalysis. Freud (18562. Sigmund Freud therapeutic developed psychoanalysis as a human

7、 explored the workings of the mind and technique to treat neurosis or mental disturbances. Text Study Text Two Words to Avoid, Two to RememberArthur Gordon Nothing in life is more exciting and rewarding than the sudden flash of insight that leaves you a 1 not only changed, but changed for the better

8、. Such moments are rare, certainly, changed person but they come to all of us. Sometimes from a book, a sermon, a line of poetry. Sometimes from a friend .feeling was restaurant, little French I in afternoon 2 That wintry in Manhattan, waiting the considerable of part, a project my miscalculations o

9、f depressed. frustrated and Because several on of seeing a dear friend (the Old Man, as I prospect importance in my life had fallen through. Even the privately and affectionately thought of him) failed to cheer me as it usually did. I sat there frowning at word 编辑版the checkered tablecloth, chewing t

10、he bitter cud of hindsight. 3 He came across the street, finally, muffled in his ancient overcoat, shapeless felt hat pulled down over his bald head, looking more like an energetic gnome than an eminent psychiatrist. His offices were nearby; I knew he had just left his last patient of the day. He wa

11、s close to 80, but he still carried a full case load, still acted as director of a large foundation, still loved to escape to the golf course whenever he could. 4 By the time he came over and sat beside me, the waiter had brought his invariable bottle of ale. I had not seen him for several months, b

12、ut he seemed as indestructible as ever. Well, young man, he 慳摩眠瑩潨瑵瀠敲楬業慮祲?睜慨?环琠潲扵楬杮礠畯尿 5 I had long since ceased to be surprised at his perceptiveness. So I proceeded to tell him, at some length, just what was bothering me. With a kind of melancholy pride, I tried to be very honest. I blamed no one e

13、lse for my disappointment, only myself. I analyzed the whole thing, all the bad judgments, the false moves. I went on for perhaps 15 minutes, while the Old Man sipped his ale in silence. 6 桗湥?映湩獩敨?栠?異?潤湷栠獩朠慬獳?浯?湯尬栠?慳摩?瑥?潧戠捡?潴洠?景楦散尮 7 奜畯?景楦散?楄?潹?潦杲瑥猠浯瑥楨杮尿 8 乜?敨猠楡?業摬祬?眠湡?潹牵爠慥瑣潩?潴猠浯瑥楨杮?桔瑡?污? 9 A chill

14、rain was beginning to fall outside, but his office was warm and comfortable and familiar: book-lined walls, long leather couch, signed photograph of Sigmund Freud, tape recorder by the window. His secretary had gone home. We were alone. 10 The Old Man took a tape from a flat cardboard box and fitted

15、 it onto the machine. On this tape, he said, are three short recordings made by three persons who came to me for help. They are not identified, of course. I want you to listen to the recordings and see if you can pick out the two-word phrase that is the common denominator in all three cases. He smil

16、ed. Dont look so 異空敬?栠癡?祭爠慥潳獮尮 11 What the owners of the voices on the tape had in common, it seemed to me, was unhappiness. The man who spoke first evidently had suffered some kind of business loss or failure; he berated himself for not having worked harder, for not having looked ahead. The woman w

17、ho spoke next had never married because of a sense of obligation to her widowed mother; she recalled bitterly all the marital chances she had let go by. The third voice belonged to a mother whose teen-age son was in trouble with the police; she blamed herself endlessly. 12 The Old Man switched off t

18、he machine and leaned back in his chair. Six times in those recordings a phrase is used thats full of subtle poison. Did you spot it? No? Well, perhaps thats because you used it three times yourself down in the restaurant a little while ago. He picked up the box that had held the tape and tossed it

19、over to me. There they are, right on the label. The two 慳摤獥?潷摲?湩愠祮氠湡畧条? If only.I looked down. Printed neatly in red ink were the words: 13 14 Youd be amazed, said the Old Man, if you knew how many thousands of times Ive sat in this chair and listened to woeful sentences beginning with those two wor

20、ds. If only, they say to me, I had done it differently or not done it at all. If only I hadnt lost my temper, said the cruel thing, made that dishonest move, told that foolish lie. If only I had been wiser, or more unselfish, or more self-controlled. They go on and on until I stop them. Sometimes I

21、make them listen to the recordings if only?敷洠杩瑨戠来湩琠?敧?潳敭桷牥?you just heard. If only, I say to them, youd stop saying 15 The Old Man stretched out his legs. The trouble with if only, he said, is that it doesnt word 编辑版change anything. It keeps the person facing the wrong way backward instead of forwar

22、d. It wastes time. In the end, if you let it become a habit, it can become a real roadblock, an excuse for not trying any more. 16 Now take your own case: your plans didnt work out. Why? Because you made certain mistakes. Well, thats all right: everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are what we learn fro

23、m. But when you were telling me about them, lamenting 桴獩?敲牧瑥楴杮琠慨?礠畯眠牥湥?敲污祬氠慥湲湩?牦浯琠敨? 17 How do you know? I said, a bit defensively. 18 Because, said the Old Man, you never got out of the past tense. Not once did you mention the future. And in a way be honest, now! you were enjoying it. Theres a perv

24、erse streak in all of us that makes us like to hash over old mistakes. After all, when you relate the story of some disaster or disappointment that has happened to you, youre still the chief character, still in the center of the 瑳条? 19 I shook my head ruefully?坜汥?眠慨?环琠敨爠浥摥? 20 Shift the focus, said

25、the Old Man promptly. Change the key words and substitute a phrase 桴瑡猠灵汰敩?楬瑦椠獮整摡漠?牣慥楴杮搠慲? 21 ?潹?慨敶猠捵?桰慲敳琠?敲潣浭湥? 22 ?牥慴湩祬?瑓楲敫漠瑵琠敨眠牯獤?榯?湯祬?畳獢楴畴整琠敨瀠牨獡?敮瑸琠浩? Next time尿 23 24 Thats right. Ive seen it work minor miracles right here in this room. As long as a patient keeps saying if only to me, hes in tro

26、uble. But when he looks me in the eye and says next time, I know hes on his way to overcoming his problem. It means he has decided to apply the lessons he has learned from his experience, however grim or painful it may have been. It means hes going to push 獡摩?桴?潲摡汢捯?景爠来敲?洠癯?潦睲牡?琠歡?捡楴湯?敲畳敭氠癩湩?吠祲椠?潹牵敳

27、晬?潙?沯?敳? 25 My old friend stopped speaking. Outside, I could hear the rain whispering against the windowpane. I tried sliding one phrase out of my mind and replacing it with the other. It was fanciful, of course, but I could hear the new words lock into place with an audible click. 26 The Old Man st

28、ood up a bit stiffly. Well, class dismissed. It has been good to see you, young 慭?睬祡?獩?潎?椠?潹?楷汬栠汥?敭映湩?慴楸?牰扯扡祬猠潨汵?敢朠瑥楴杮漠?潨敭尮 27 We came out of the building into the rainy night. I spotted a cruising cab and ran toward it, but another pedestrian was quicker. 28 My, my, said the Old Man slyly. If only

29、we had come down ten seconds sooner, wed have 慣杵瑨琠慨?慣?眠畯摬?璯眠? 29 ?慬杵敨?湡?楰正摥甠?桴?畣?尠敎瑸琠浩?沯?畲?慦瑳牥尮 30 呜慨?环椠?牣敩?桴?汏?慍?瀠汵楬杮栠獩愠獢牵?慨?潤湷愠潲湵?楨?慥獲?呜慨?环椠?硥捡汴 31 Another taxi slowed. I opened the door for him. He smiled and waved as it moved away. I never saw him again. A month later, he died of a sudden heart

30、attack, in full stride, so to speak. 32 More than a year has passed since that rainy afternoon in Manhattan. But to this day, whenever I find myself thinking if only, I change it to ext time. Then I wait for that almost-perceptible mental click. And when I hear it, I think of the Old Man. 33 A small

31、 fragment of immortality, to be sure. But its the kind he would have wanted. Words and Phrases n. sth. one expects to happen; a possibility or likelihood of sth. happening 1.prospect word 编辑版I look forward to the prospect of being a volunteer doing social work in the Great e.g. Northwest. There is a

32、 reasonable prospect of reaching the trapped miners within the next 24 hours. pl. opportunities prospects Most people are not quite optimistic about the prospects for/of employment. e.g. Dont think too much how the job pays now. What really matters is that it holds good prospects. adj. famous and re

33、spected within a particular eminent 2. profession, e.g. eminent doctor/surgeon/scientist, etc. adj. never changing 3. invariableThe invariable question the mother asked her child after school every day was: How did e.g. 癥牥瑹楨杮朠?潴慤? v. begin a course of actionproceed 4. After the preparations had been

34、 made, we proceeded to draft the plan. e.g. formal) in some detail at some length: (5.She described to us her trip to New Zealand at some length. e.g. cf. at length after a long time; at last He thought over the mathematical problem day and night and solved it at length. e.g. 6. false move: an unwis

35、e action that turns out to be a mistake and brings one risks or failure Be very careful with the designing of the plan; a false move and it will fall through. e.g. vformal) scold or criticize angrily because of a fault. ( berate 7.Dont berate anyone just because he has made a mistake. Dont we all ma

36、ke mistakes from e.g. time to time? v. feel or express deep sorrow (for or because of sth.) lament 8.One should not lament the past mistakes, but should try to do better later. e.g. adv. regretfully ruefully 9. He faced his recent failure ruefully. e.g. adv. quickly, at once promptly10. He always re

37、sponded to the customers requests promptly. e.g. adj. harsh, unpleasant, dreadful 11. grimHe was depressed when he heard the grim news that two-thirds of the workforce might be e.g. discharged. Notes word 编辑版1. the sudden flash of insight that leaves you a changed person: the quick and spontaneous u

38、nderstanding that makes you a different person a flash of insight an understanding that comes to one suddenly and quickly leave (with object and adverbial or complement) cause (object) to be or to remain in a particular state or position Buying an expensive car has left the family penniless. e.g. Th

39、e children were left in the care of the nanny. 2. chewing the bitter cud of hindsight: thinking repeatedly about the painful realization of what had happened cud means partly digested food returned from the first stomach of ruminants to the Literally mouth for further chewing (反刍的食物). When an animal

40、 chews the cud, it chews further the partly digested food. When a person chews the cud, he thinks about something reflectively. He chewed the cud for a long while before he set pen to paper. e.g. hindsight understanding the reasons for an event or situation only after it has happened The accident co

41、uld have been avoided with the wisdom of hindsight. e.g. With hindsight they should not have left their little daughter alone in the country villa. 3. he still carried a full case load: he still kept himself fully occupied in the treatment of his patients case load the number of patients a doctor ha

42、s to deal with 4. I had long since ceased to be surprised at his perceptiveness.: I had long before come to know that he was good at perceiving how others thought and felt; so I was not at all surprised when he noticed my troubled state. n.) unusual ability to notice and understand; awareness and un

43、derstanding ( perceptivenessWe all admired his perceptiveness; he was always so quick to respond to a new situation. e.g. 5. With a kind of melancholy pride: Apparently the author was still proud of his project of considerable importance, though he was sad because of several miscalculations on his p

44、art. 6. common denominator: This is a term used in mathematics, meaning he common multiple of the denominator of several fractions (公分母). In this context, it means he characteristic if only was used by all three of them.shared by the three persons, i.e. the phrase 7. all the marital chances she had

45、let go by: all the chances for her to get married she had missed let (sth.) go by lose sth. The short course is a good opportunity for you to learn a skill. Dont let it go by. e.g. 8. Theres a perverse streak in all of us that makes us like to hash over old mistakes.: Theres an obstinately unreasona

46、ble quality in all of us which makes us enjoy bringing up old mistakes again for consideration. perverse (of a person or ones actions) showing an obstinate desire to behave in an unreasonable way We just couldnt understand her perverse decision against the majority. e.g. word 编辑版streak an element of

47、 a specified kind in ones character （性格行为的）倾向, an often unpleasant characteristic Her streak of stubbornness makes her difficult to get along with. e.g. slang) bring up (sth.) again for consideration ( hash over What has been done cannot be undone. Dont hash over past mistakes. Cheer up and try to e

48、.g. do better next time. 9. substitute a phrase that supplies lift instead of creating drag: use a phrase (in place of if only) that provides encouragement that pushes you forward instead of discouragement that pulls you backward v.) ( use (sth.) in place of (sth. else) substituteThe old lady suffer

49、s from diabetes, so she substitutes saccharine for sugar/so she e.g. substitutes sugar with saccharine. n.) a person or thing acting or used in place of another substitute (The actresss substitute performed as well as the actress herself. e.g. 10. when he looks me in the eye: when he looks directly

50、at me without showing embarrassment, fear, or shame 11. I could hear the new words lock into place with an audible click: I could sense the new words firmly fixed in my mind without any doubt 12. that almost-perceptible mental click: the reminder provided by the Old Man that can roughly be felt in t

51、he mind : a small piece of advice to be remembered forever13. a small fragment of immortality Questions 1. How were the author and the old man related? Key: The old man was an eminent psychiatrist and the author was a client of his. 2. According to the author, how much did the session with his psych

52、iatrist friend that afternoon mean to him? (para. 1) Key: To him, the session was just like a flash of insight that leaves him a changed person not 湯祬挠慨杮摥?畢?档湡敧?潦?桴?敢瑴牥尮 3. Why did the old man let the author listen to the three speakers on the tape? (para.15) Key: The three speakers on the tape were

53、 all unhappy, and the two words they all used frequently in what they said were if only. What the old man wanted to point out to the author was that to keep saying if only would not change anything; on the contrary, it only kept the person facing the wrong way backward instead of forward. Thus it di

54、d more harm than good to the person who kept saying them. word 编辑版 What did the old man advise the author to do to get out of his depressed state of mind? (para. 20)4. Key: Shift the focus; substitute ext time for if only. In what way are the two phrases if only and ext time different? (para. 20)5.a

55、nd the and negative, directions; one is backward Key: They point to entirely different mental other forward and positive. What do you think is the tone of the passage?6. It is instructive and inspirational.Key: Activitysuch one classmates about of our life. Tell your part 1. Failures and setbacks ar

56、e an inevitable %unfortunate experience and how you managed to get back on your feet. Sentence patterns for your reference When I was . I met . It is true that life is . In spite of the ., I . Discuss the lash of insight Gordon suddenly got. What psychological effect did this piece of 2. advice prod

57、uce on Gordon? Do you believe that ones mentality is an essential factor when one is unfortunately thrown into adversity? Give examples to support your view. Sentence patterns for your reference In case one meets ., it is essential that . As in Gordons case, . An example to show . is that . Organization and Development Narration In terms of mode of deve